Police say ‘targeted initiatives’ played role in new data showing Edmonton crime rate has decreased
Global News
New statistics suggest that the overall crime rate in Edmonton fell 11 per cent in 2023. The Edmonton Police Service is crediting its targeted initiatives for the finding.
The Edmonton Police Service held a news conference on Wednesday to discuss numbers recently released by the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics that suggest the crime rate in Alberta’s capital decreased by 11 per cent in 2023 compared to the year before.
“Nationally, the overall police-reported crime rate in Canada went up three per cent,” Ron Anderson, the EPS’ chief innovation and strategy officer, told reporters. “So we have a marked difference between Edmonton and the rest of Canada.
“Having said that, we still have much work to do in the areas of ongoing violent crime which remains a challenge.”
In a news release, Anderson suggested “targeted initiatives that are now properly resourced with EPS members and our partners” played a role in driving down the overall crime rate.
“Initiatives such as the Edmonton Police Foundation’s Community Accelerator program, which applied focused strategies to combat crimes such as liquor store and catalytic converter theft, began to pay dividends in 2023,” he said. “As well, Safer Public Spaces, targeting social disorder and victimization, had an impact in Edmonton’s downtown core and surrounding communities.
“The provincial government’s new Navigation Centre and dedicated LRT deployments are already looking promising throughout the first two quarters of 2024.”
Anderson also said the EPS’ high-risk encampment teams have played an important role in addressing disorder in the city’s core.
However, the violent crime severity index for Edmonton rose by four per cent in the same time period. Anderson said “this is primarily driven in the increase in firearms and weapons.”
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